


Where You Belong

by writergrump



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: Angst, Egobang - Freeform, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Poor Danny boy, warning: depressive thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-12
Updated: 2017-09-12
Packaged: 2018-12-26 20:22:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12066300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writergrump/pseuds/writergrump
Summary: Danny has doubts about where he belongs and why Arin chose him. He finds himself in the Grump Room, feeling numb about it all. Fortunately, Arin’s always there. No matter what. Oneshot.





	Where You Belong

No matter what Danny did, it never felt like it was _enough._

Sometimes he’d wake up from nightmares, clutching his sheets, staring up at the ceiling and asking himself what the fuck he was doing with his life.

Other times, he’d be sitting with all of his friends and just go quiet as he’d look around and realize how talented all these people were, and how much he’d depended on them for a long time.

Then he’d speak with his parents on the phone and they’d casually mention something from awhile back, and he’d zone out as he recalled that period of his life and wonder why anyone put up with him.

Occasionally, he’d catch a whiff of the smell of weed and his muscles would clench as he remembered a somewhat vulnerable time in his life–a time when he’d do nothing but smoke weed and pretend like he was okay.

He’d been going through a particularly shitty time when he’d met Arin.

He felt like he’d never be able to properly express how much Arin had done for him. Danny was perfectly aware that Arin himself had gone through some shitty times of his own, but Arin was always smiling and cheerful, spreading positive energy wherever he went.

Getting to know Arin made him regain a sense of purpose that had been dwindling lately. He stepped up, working on the music he loved so much because a funny man with a contagious smile had told him how much he liked his work.

Things had continued to change, as Arin had invited him to join Gru//mps. Danny had left a job he wasn’t really passionate about into a world where he could make music and spend his time working on things that he loved to do.

Arin would never tell that Danny had cried his first day on Gru//mps.

As time went on, he’d felt confident, he really had. But then he’d be at a writing session with Brian, and Brian would make a joke about N//SP’s particular brand of music, and Danny would be hit with the realization that maybe all of this was temporary.

Then he’d be sitting with Arin, rambling about nothing, and Arin would mention plans for the future and Danny would seize up. He forgot how young Arin was sometimes. And yet, he’d accomplished so much. He’d built up a business. He’d given so many people jobs. He’d made so many people happy and successful. 

Danny had been one of those people.

He’d go home and cry later, in private, where no one could see his doubts and fears. 

Danny would’ve liked to say he got better as he grew more successful, but it was really the opposite. Every day he was reminded of how much pressure there was to appeal to his audience and be a great addition to Gru//mps and everything seemed so overwhelming.

Then there were the days he felt he didn’t deserve all the blessings he’d been given.

Why had Arin chosen _him?_ Why did people seem to like his music? Why was his family so accepting of the career he’d chosen for himself? Why were his fans so nice and complimentary?

He didn’t deserve it.

One night was particularly terrible, and he just wanted to feel like he had when he smoked. He wanted to forget all the pressures and the way he felt guilty for being stressed because he had no right to be so stressed.

Danny jumped in his car. It was around two in the morning but his body seemed to be out of his control. He drove and drove, eventually finding himself–where else?–at the Gru//mp Space.

He unlocked the door numbly, padding inside. It was dark and empty. Everyone was at home, asleep.

Danny sat on the Gru//mp couch, staring at the soft material. He ran his fingers over the fabric, imagining all the memories he’d made on this couch. All the hours spent laughing and talking with one of the best people he’d ever met.

He registered the tears dripping off his cheeks, not bothering to try and wipe them away. _I don’t deserve to cry,_ he thought bitterly, but he couldn’t bring himself to stop.

Danny curled up on the couch, letting himself feel truly miserable and feeling all the emotions he’d suppressed for so long come crashing down around him. 

Why here? Why, in his most vulnerable moments, did he find himself drawn back to this room?

But something was missing. Or, rather, _someone_ was missing.

Danny laid there, feeling his fuzzy head slowly lose consciousness.

~~~

When he woke up, he felt momentary confusion as he registered that he was in the Gru//mp room.

Then his memory caught up, and he felt his face’s skin cracking from his dried tears. He groaned, feeling a headache building.

“Oh, you’re awake.”

For some reason, Danny didn’t jump at the sound of Arin’s voice. It just made sense that Arin was there with him. To be perfectly honest, his head was still muddled and he wasn’t sure if it was really Arin or a hallucination from his battered brain.

Danny turned, seeing Arin sitting on the other end of the couch, his eyes tired but his smile warm. “Good morning, sleepyhead. Any particular reason you were sleeping here last night?”

He licked his cracked lips. “W…what’re you doin’ here, Ar?”

Arin’s smile faded, and his eyes dropped. His hand reached out to lightly rest on Danny’s knee, and he stared at the contact.

“I came in early this morning, and I found you in here, asleep, and…you looked like you’d been crying.”

There was an unspoken question in Arin’s eyes.

Danny swallowed, trying to rack through his troubled heart and cluttered mind to find a response. But no matter how much he tried, he just couldn’t think of anything to say.

So instead, he reached out his arms in a silent request, and Arin understood. He reached forward to pull Danny to him, wrapping his trembling form in his caring arms. He let Danny rest against his chest, closing his eyes and feeling the warmth of Arin’s embrace.

Arin held him tight, lightly stroking his arm. “D’you wanna talk, or is this enough?”

Danny opened his eyes, looking up. “This…this is all I really need.”

Arin smiled. “Good. Don’t talk then, okay? I’ll wait here with you. I’ll wait until you want to talk. And if you don’t, that’s fine, too. I’ll still be here. So don’t worry, Danny.”

His grip on Arin’s shirt tightened. He didn’t feel like crying anymore. He just felt _safe._ He felt safe here, and that’s all he wanted right now.

Maybe he couldn’t talk about it just yet. Maybe he’d never be able to tell Arin how much he’d done for him. Maybe Arin would never know how much Danny loved him.

But Arin had promised to stay. No matter what.

 _That,_ more than anything, started healing the worries in his heart.

**Author's Note:**

> Check me out at my tumblr, writergrump!


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